The Life Of Shirou Emiya (A Forrest Gump Parody)
by Fate-Time21
Summary: Shirou Emiya was a dumbass alright. But sweet lord, does he get far. This is his story as he tells it to an old friend sitting in a café in Mobile, Alabama. (Wrote the first chapter like 1-2 years ago, so it might be a bit weird to y'all. A new AU where Shirou's life is inspired by Forrest Gump. It may get a bit hectic).
1. Early Beginnings

"Goddamn Emiya, seems like you have a story to tell, hm?" Arthur said as he drank his milkshake. The blond man took a bite out of his burger, before swallowing and smiling at the redhead from across the table.

"I wouldn't say that," Shirou shrugged, "mah life ain't that interestin."

"Oh, come on," Arthur laughed, "I've got time to hear a damn hillbilly from Alabama tell me his life story." Odd contradiction, since they were both southerners. Wouldn't that make them both hillbillies? Arthur was silly like that sometimes.

"Okay then," Shirou said, drowning his entire cup of coffee and scarfing down his entire plate of pancakes. "It all began in sweet ol' Alabama..."

 **(Setting: the southern United States. Heavy accents. I suggest you watch Forrest Gump)**

* * *

Now, lemme tell ya somethin, I was born a damn idiot in about June of 1944. Golly, six years old and I didn't know how ta read, how ta do simple math, much less pay attention in class. The doctor said my IQ was like 75 or somethin. Ya reckon in a couple years I'd improve a lot.

Naw, I was a slow as all hell, but mamma always said ta "never admit somebody better than ya Shirou, ya as the same as all em other kids. Ya just slower, that's all there is to it." Now, mah mamma was the best mamma in the world. I suppose she was somewhat odd, in a nice way ya get what I mean?

She looked different from all the other folks down in Alabama, I mean golly, can ya imagine a white woman with the whitest of white hair and red eyes raising an Asian kid in the middle of the south? Weird ta think about. She never said anythin about me bein stupid, but I'm sure she knew. But she loved me for who I was, and that's what matters, right Arthur? I never met mah daddy, mamma always told me he died in the war against Hitler.

Mah mamma and I lived in a huge house in Mobile. We wasn't rich back in mah day, so mamma would always let other folks stay for some money. One fella turned out to be Elvis. I ain't lyin, ya hear? Matter a fact, the fella got his dance moves from me when he was staying in town, playin his guitar and I had some weird hip-jerkin moves since I had em braces on me leg. I just started, movin around, tryna at least, to dance to his guitar. Ya can imagine me and mamma's surprise when we saw the fella on television when we was walkin back home from supper at this one diner. He was just swingin em hips back and forth like a madman. She later told she was fixin to some pie for my accomplishment.

* * *

"This diner?" Arthur asked, waving around at the friendly American diner with a french fry in his hand. Shirou looked around, thinking hard, before nodding. "And Elvis Presley himself got his moves from you?" Arthur noticed Shirou was on his sixth plate of burgers and fries. Must be nice being rich and all. Thank god he wasn't the one paying the bill.

"Yessiree," Shirou smiled.

* * *

Ya could ask the man and he'll tell ya, too bad he's dead now. Saw im singin Hound Dog and mamma just told me to move along, sayin it ain't the stuff a younglin like me should be watchin. Then, life moved on like usual. Elvis was nice enough to send me a letter though, I keep it mah front pocket for good luck. Like I said, life went go as usual, at least until I went ta get mah education even though I'm dumb as bricks.

I don't recall mah first Christmas, I don't recall mah first outdoor picnic but...I do recall mah first day at school though, cuz that was when I heard the most sweetest voice known to man. Don't know how I got into school. Somebody told me mamma tortured the principal or somethin once (Shirou casually ignores Arthur's face of horror). What was it again? Six years old and I'm on the road waitin for the school bus ta come along down the...well...road.

"Now don't ya worry Shirou," Mamma told me, "it'll be fine."

"But mamma, I'm dumber than a rock," I said and she just smiled at me.

"Dumb? Come on now, like I said," Mamma gave me a hug, "you're just a bit slower than all em other kids, that's all." Mamma hadda help me up the bus, cuz I hadda a messed up spine or somethin, so my legs were in some sorta metal braces like I said before. I remember mah doctor sayin it was as crooked as a Yankee politician.

Lordy, as soon as I walked up that bus, all em other kids were laughin at me like I were an alien from Mars. Lookin around, em other kids were real mean. They didn't even lemme have a seat! Then again, ahere in Alabama folks can be racist, rude, and cruel. Half the time mamma hadda mind to telling some folks to go back to God and pray for mercy before she became madder than a wet hen and began wailing on some folks.

I was a Jap after all, and y'all know how we Japs were viewed as some buck-toothed cartoon drawn up by somebody on Wall Street. Even worse, I was adopted! Sometimes, I remember mah neighbors askin mamma if I was a bastard child. Now that I think about, I reckon Georgia folk are nicer than folks ahere in Alabama. The only folks treated worst than us was the unfortunate black folks all around the South. We was Jews too after all, Alabama sometimes was just ugly.

"You can sit next to me if ya want." I was as all hell surprised. I looked down ta see a girl around mah age, pattin the spot next ta her and I swear ta all em angels in Heaven and God, she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen.

* * *

"I thought you said my sister was the prettiest thing you've ever seen?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"She second prettiest, I was just bein nice," Shirou said honestly, and Arthur had to restrain himself from laughing, as he still knew how crazy Nero was for the man even though he was married.

* * *

"Thank ya very much ma'am," I nodded. She had some of the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. Blonde hair wrapped around in what imma guess is a French braid.

Suckin up mah gut, I decided to hold out mah hand. "Shirou Emiya." The girl smiled and shook mah hand, and boy do I remember how soft em hands were.

"Jeanne d'Arc," Jeanne said. Now, at that time I would never expect she was named after Joan d'Arc. Hell, I didn't even know until three weeks ago. Unlike all the other kids, Jeanne was the nicest one. Our time together is somethin I always I put in mah heart, ya get what I mean?

For the first time in mah life, I was havin a conversation with somebody, much less a girl. I told her I was stupid as hell when she noticed we was probably in the same grade.

"I don't mind Shirou," Jeanne had said. I looked at her with surprise.

"I'm as stupid as stupid can get Jeanne," I replied.

"Well, I don't think you're stupid," Jeanne smiled, "I reckon ya just too focused on somethin else besides math and stuff, that's all. You see em boys over yonder? Now they's dumb." Me and Jeanne were like two peas and carrots. From that day on we were always together, cuz she was mah most special friend in the whole wide world. Now, even though I was stupid, I wasn't that stupid. I remembered Jeanne always comin to school with bruises and other things on her arms. I recall she hadda a black eye once. I had a real bad feelin about it, but every time I decided to ask her what the hell was goin on, she said it ain't nothin at all. I didn't know what was goin on at the time, since I was only a kid.

Jeanne was the one ta teach me how ta read and do math, hell, she taught me a whole lotta things, I tell ya. I even learned French! Me and her didn't have any other friends, but she said she wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, all em boys would hit me and all em girls avoided me like the plague or somethin. Then, out of nowhere, I had passed the first grade! Ya can imagine how damn proud I was.

As the years passed by, me and Jeanne got closer, but I still was gettin bullied by em boys in school. Mah mamma called those kids "unfortunate and disappointing bastard children." Three in particular, and I hated em kids. So one mornin when we was walkin down the street back home from school, those three boys began peltin rocks at mah head.

"Hey dummy!" One of em boys yelled. One rock hit me right in the head, knocked me ta the ground and mah head started bleedin, it hurt pretty bad.

"Are ya dumb or just plain stupid?" One of the other boys asked.

"Ignore em, Shirou," Jeanne said.

"What does ignore mean?" I asked.

"Don't pay any attention to em," Jeanne explained. Another rock and well shit, that one was quite a big one. "On second thought, run Shirou!" Now, I was still in em leg braces. I was limpin like a wounded dog on a hot Florida weekday, but em boys didn't care. They decided it was gonna be fun if they start chasin me on their bikes. They left Jeanne behind and she was just lookin at me go. I could still hear her I tell ya, screaming in the distance, "Run Shirou, ruuuuun!"

* * *

"Three of em?" Arthur asked, "say, ain't they em Jefferson brothers?"

"Yeah, how ya know em?" Shirou asked curiously.

"Three bastards never made it far, infact all em died in Vietnam," Arthur chuckled, "I swear,only time I ever laughed at some fella being blown up in the ass. So, how ya get out of em braces?"

* * *

Well, I didn't know what was goin on either. Maybe it was a miracle from God or somethin! While Jeanne was screamin for me ta run as fast as I could, em boys were closin in on their bikes. Suddenly, I bent mah knees for the first time. Weird ain't it? Ya wouldn't believe it if you weren't there. My braces started to fall off too, and outta nowhere I'm runnin...and runnin! Runnin like a madman! Ya wouldn't expect me to run like the wind, but golly, did I run like the wind. I ran over yonder without a care in the world! From that day on, if I was goin somewhere, I ran like the damn wind!

* * *

"Where the hell did ya ran?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Shirou admitted.

"You serious?" Arthur laughed, "ya just took off runnin and never considered where in the hell you might be going Shirou?"

"Hey, I made it back home didn't I?" Shirou retorted.

"I guess so, what was that one saying my ma would say?" Arthur pondered, "if the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise-"

"-you'll be fine," Shirou shrugged, "actually, now that I remember, I ran into a one of those regular marches the black folks in town always had. I always wanted ta join, but the police was always around with dogs and stuff."

"...Shirou, those were civil right protesters," Arthur deadpanned,"I'd reckon ya woulda known."

"Oh, really?" Shirou was surprised, "well I'll be."

* * *

I bumped into one of em ministers that was in the march. Tall and friendly black man.

"Sorry forinterruptin yoursingin sir," I apologized and the man looked at me with a kind smile. Some years later, I was sad to hear he'd got shot in Tennessee. After that day, all I did was run. Hell, so much so that's the reason I got even got into college!

* * *

"...I think I can make a book or something out of this," Arthur stated, "lemme get my typewriter."

* * *

 _A/N: I wrote this like what, 1-2 years ago? I haven't really touched upon it until now and I haven't really changed much of what I originally wrote. It's inspired by Forrest Gump, as I said in the beginning, and this whole thing was basically a spur of a moment. Thanks for reading._


	2. Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

_All the grammar problems are intentional. Helps emphasizes the tone and accent of our Shirou._

* * *

Somehow, someway, I got in ta a higher grade. Odd ain't it? Mamma was happy as all hell when I somehow got ta high school. Now, by this time Jeanne wasn't livin with her papa no more, so I saw her around her grandma's. I was lucky we has been togetha so long.

One day was real weird, I must say. I was runnin like I always do ta her house. This was before she wasn't livin with her papa. Her house was like this big ol' farm. A lotta of corn, I gotta say! Every time I was there tryna look for Jeanne, I always see her papa touchin and kissin her sisters. It felt real strange to me, but Jeanne always told me ta not worry about her. One day, I saw she ain't there at our usual seat on the bus. So I ran ta her house and she was near the corn.

"Jeanne, where was ya on the bus?" I asked.

"Shhh, my papa takin a nap," Jeanne stated. Suddenly the door to the house opened and Jeanne took mah hand and we ran threw all those rows of corn. "Keep runnin Shirou!"

"Jeanne! Where ya at!?" A voice I guess was Jeanne's papa was yelling across the field. We kept runnin through em rows of corn until we found a small ditch of sorts. Jeanne came to a stop and we crouched down low.

"Come and pray with me, Shirou," Jeanne said as she put her hands together, "Lord, make me a bird and let me fly away...make a bird and let me be free..."

I heard a loud snappin noise in the distance and a loud scream. I saw em birds fly into the air like they was scared. I reckon I saw a white bird covered in somethin red flyin away too. I reckon that's the first time I ever got scared of Jeanne. She smiled real wide when that snappin noise rang through the air. I don't know what was goin on. All I recall is Jeanne didn't hadda live with her papa no more, though I don't know what happen to him either. The police just told me he was gone for good now.

* * *

Arthur was too horrified to even comment. He was too shocked to even move. For once, his entire body felt somber and chills ran down his spine. For once, he thanked the Lord that Shirou was as stupid as stupid could get. He didn't know how the boy would've reacted at that age if he wasn't so oblivious. He didn't want to know how Shirou would've acted if he wasn't so oblivious. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Shirou would figure it out in the future. It haunted the redheaded man till this very day, and probably till the end of his life. It was a stain on his memory of Jeanne and himself as a child. Unbeknownst to Arthur, the man in front of him was stuck in never-ending guilt and self-loathing.

* * *

I was barely passin by, mah grades were somehow average. Jeanne was happier than how I saw her when we were still kids. She always help me with everythin. She taught me a lotta things that I was too stupid ta learn on mah own. We was always sittin under this oak tree near one of the parks in our neighborhood. Good times, I tell ya. A lotta a times she would sneak into mah house at night. She always told me it was nightmares and mah mamma let her stay the night.

We was still good friends all the way through high school, but it was then when I met another friend in mah life. It was when I was in the fresh...the soph...whatchamacallit?...( _what's the third year of high school again?_ _**Junior year, Shirou**_ ) junior year that I met this one boy who was also stupid as stupid could get. His name was Cú. Now, for some damn reason he was born with blue hair. It was kinda odd but lemme tell ya somethin! He damn sure knew how ta throw.

"Whadda ya doin o'er there?" Cú asked one day when I was runnin away from the Jefferson boys again.

"Just runnin," I replied. Unlike everyone else here in Alabama, Cú was from some place called Irishland, so his accent was different. Apparently, according to him, it was a gigillion miles across the world!

"Whadda ya runnin from?" Cú asked me. I pointed ta em Jefferson boys and Cú frowned. He musta hadda the aim of God or somethin, 'cause the next thing I knew, two of em Jefferson boys fell off of em bikes from hittin a rock outta nowhere! "Bunch ol' fookin shite bags of devil spawn. How do ya do? Me name is Cú Bisset."

"Mah name is Shirou Emiya, Cú," I nodded in his direction, "what ya doin there?"

"On me tod," Cú replied, "Jesus H. Christ! Look atta state o' you! Come in along now! We could get ya fixed up!" The Jefferson boys still got up, however, so Cú did the most logical thing he could do. He kept throwin rocks.

"Are they gonna be alright?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Shirou!" Cú stated, "I'll protect ya!" All of em eventually ran away for their daddies. "That'll show em, eh?"

"Really now? Ya got a lotta explainin to do..." That voice send shivers to mah bone! We felt triumphant for sendin em Jefferson boys away, but then Cú's mamma, outta nowhere, dragged him home by the collar of his shirt and told me to follow along. Too scared to think, I just followed her orders.

* * *

"That's how I met Cú's mamma!" Shirou explained.

"Really now?" Arthur chuckled. They had left the diner and were now stuck at...another diner. Shirou insisted on getting lunch even though they were just done with brunch. Son of a bitch was one hell of a glutton.

"Yessiree, she was a mighty fine woman," Shirou nodded, "she was real scary though."

* * *

"What'd I tell ya about assaulting other boys, eh Sétanta?" Cú's mamma was this tall woman with purple hair. She was a real pretty lady, but even that didn't help make her any less scary. It was real strange, I tell ya that. She was pullin his ear hard when I got ta his home, and she had a wooden spoon in one hand too!

"Those boys were tryin to hurt him, mama!" Cú tried to explain. Now, I don't reckon I had ever been more scared in mah life. Cú's mama looked madder than a wet hen! Cú himself looked like he was goin to hell in a handbasket!

"Really now?" Cú's mama was named Ms. Bisset, or at least that's what we was supposed to call her. I don't really know why, but she always forced us to call her _Shishou Scáthach_.

"Yes, that is the true ma'am," I nodded really hard.

"Bloody fookin hell, you's Einzbern's kid, now ain't ya, lad?" Shishou Scáthach asked and I nodded again. Goodness gracious, I reckon I shoulda stay home or somethin when I saw those eyes turnin on me! "I see. Ya a scrawny lad, ain't ya? Perhaps we could put some meat in them bones of yours!"

"Well-" Mah stomach started growlin right there and I hadda look down to hide mah embarrassment! "Excuse me, ma'am? Can I stay for supper?" For once she actually laughed!

"O' course!" Shishou Scáthach nodded, "just let me call yer mama."

* * *

"Well I'll be, I reckoned ya woulda died there and then," Arthur remarked, "Ms. Bisset one time had gone mental! Whipped me a new one! Hell, my little sister said Ms. Bisset gave me a worse lickin than our own mama!"

"It was 'cause you and that Lancelot boy of yours was always in trouble," Shirou replied, "mah mamma always said you two were like y'all were raised in a barn. At least Nero turned out pretty good."

"Hey!"

* * *

Cú wasn't exactly the richest of em folks, like he was in no ways poor, but he ain't got the same money all of em other kids had. However, his mamma was one hell of a cook! I don't reckon ya woulda find a better cook in a million miles over yonder. So I was just fixin to some mashed potatoes when Shishou Scáthach began askin if I had knew anybody that could teach Cú some basic stuff.

"He ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, I reckon," I said and Shishou Scáthach nodded, "well, I ain't as smart either. I am as stupid as stupid can get, ma'am."

"Well, that's a shame, Sétanta is a bit of git when it comes to school," Shishou Scáthach sighed. I could only nod. Then, a bright idea pop in mah head!

"I know a girl that can," I replied. Shishou looked rather surprised and she had such a devilish grin I was kinda scared.

* * *

"It was Jeanne, ain't it?" Arthur asked, "she's the only smart one outta your childhood."

"Yessiree," Shirou nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

Shishou Scáthach was a fisherwoman. She had her own boat and I liked ta help her out a lot. She taught me all the ways of fishin! We was livin in Mobile, so we was livin by the waters so fish was like everywhere!

"Be real patient with the fish, lad," Shishou Scáthach always said, "they're cheeky little bastards." Sometimes, she would even throw me straight inta the water to get her a lobster or somethin. She said that near-death experiences create good character.

"On a good day ya can catch a hundred to a thousand big fish, medium fish, little fish, and maybe even some oysters if ya lucky," Cú always said. He musta have been more enthusiastic than his mamma, 'cause he was always talking about all sorts of fish. He for some reason didn't like crabs. He said they was a poor man's lobster.

"Really now?" I one time replied while we was scrubbing Shishou's Scáthach's boat.

"Yessiree," Cú nodded, "anyway, like I was sayin, fish is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's uh, fish-kabobs, fish creole, fish gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple fish, fish rice, coconut fish, pepper fish, fish soup, fish stew, fish salad, fish and chips, fish burger, fish sandwich. That, uh...that's about it."

"Ya ever think about catchin some shrimp? I like shrimp," I said.

"Shrimp is good too, but fish is the heart of the sea!" Cú exclaimed.

His mamma had a habit of throwin spears at the water, and she be pulling like seven fish and a lobster every time. She was real good at it! I tried one time and I almost hit mah neighbor. Shishou Scáthach took anythin pointy away from me 'cause she was afraid Imma hit somebody!

"Is y'all stupid or somethin?" Jeanne asked one day. We was tryin to tell her we was going fishin. It was only rainin a little. There was a flood warnin in the area if I can remember. It didn't look too bad at first. We was taking a little rowin boat and was fixin to some fishin!

"Don't worry, mate," Cú reassured, "me and Shirou will be alright!" Jeanne looked so skeptical of us when he said that.

"Whatever the hell suits your fancy," Jeanne had said. She was right about us bein stupid, 'cause next thing we knew, we was in the middle of like a hurricane or somethin! It had gone down ta absolute hell!

"We's gonna die, Cú!" I screamed through the winds and waters shootin outta nowhere! It was like the devil was beatin his wife harder than usual! We was about ta go overboard and the boat was floodin with water! It was like that one big ship that sank in 19-somethin, we just needed a damn iceberg. "Heavens ta Betsy, Cú! Where is the shore!?"

"I don't know, lad!" Cú replied, "bloody hell!" Cú was suddenly smacked in the face with a fish. Then another fish. And another fish. I believe a dolphin smacked him too. I reckon he got smacked by fifty flyin fish on that day! The waters were cruel! It was salt and fish sprayin into our faces!

Suddenly, when we thought the Lord had forgot about all of us and we's as good as dead, a miracle happened!

"'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY! FA LA LA LA LA, FA LA LA LA LA!"

"Shishou Scáthach!" I exclaimed, "wait...what in tarnation, it ain't even Christmas!" Cú kept spittin our water 'cause it was salty and all. I found it kinda funny.

"Really now!?" Cú asked, "yay!" There we saw her, in a little paddle boat of her own, with just a flashlight and red raincoat on, one booted foot on the very edge of the boat. Through some miracle, the boat wasn't tippin over! Shishou Scáthach on the other hand...well, she gone mad!

"YA AIN'T FOOKIN SHITE YE BASTARD!" Shishou Scáthach laughed maniacally, "YA CALLIN THIS A STORM!? COM'ON NOW YA CUNT, I HADDA SEEN FUCKERS IN FRANCE PUTTA UP A BLOODY FIGHT BETTER THAN THIS!" She then gotta a large red spear outta the boat. Me and Cú was scared as all hell.

"My mama is gonna kill us both, Shirou!" Cú screamed. We was huggin each other 'cause in that moment, we thought was gonna die. I mean, when ya see a crazy woman ridin in the sea in a middle of a storm carryin a spear pointed at yer direction, whatcha suppose to think?

Thank the lord he had mercy on our souls, 'cause Shishou Scáthach somehow managed to hit both of our shirts, and with a yank since the spear had a rope connected ta it, threw us in the boat!

"YA FOOKIN ARSE, COM'ON! ONE ON ONE YA BASTARD!" Shishou Scáthach yelled. I thoughta she had gone completely mad! Cú would later tell me it was 'cause Shishou Scáthach was Scottish.

By the time we got back ta shore, the storm was gone. Sunny skies and rainbows! But another storm was brewin. Shishou Scáthach looked mad as all hell.

"We lived!" Cú yelled happily. We hugged each other and jumped up and down from pure joy. We was drenched in water, but we lived! But then again...

"Really now?" Shishou Scáthach said in a very scary tone.

I reckon we musta been on the news, 'cause everybody in town was confused on why was we runnin for lives while Shishou Scáthach ran after us. She was as fast as a horse! We was jumpin over fences, over cars, runnin across corn fields, we even took a kayak and she still caught up to us!

Mamma only gave me adisappointin look when I got home for supper. She didn't even need to punish me at all. Shishou Scáthach gave me a real goodwhippin already. I reckon I'd rather see the wrath of God than Shishou Scáthach's fury again!

* * *

Arthur meanwhile, was laughing his ass off at the fact Shirou nearly got himself killed in a rainstorm. To be fair, when you're in the military for a while it gives you a dark sense of humor.

"We live in the South! 'Course there's gonna be heavy rain, Shirou!" Arthur laughed, "that's like sayin Nevada don't got a desert!"

"It looked like a good day," Shirou said simply, "clouds were a bit cloudy, that's all."

"Cloudy around here means hell," Arthur stated, "I thought ya woulda know that."

* * *

If there's one thing I noticed when I was growin up, it was that Jeanne was gettin prettier and prettier by the day. Mah mamma would always let her stay over for supper, and eventually, even Cú came along, though he would usually drag Shishou Scáthach 'cause he don't trust no one's cooking except his mamma.

One day at supper, I had been noticin Jeanne was a lot more jumpy than usual.

"What's wrong with Jeanne, mamma?" I asked. Mah mamma chuckled like she was pityin me or somethin.

"Lookee here, Shirou," Mamma whispered and pointed at Jeanne, "smile at the gal." So I did. Jeanne had turned mah way, and next thing I knew her head turned the other way. At the time, I sure as hell didn't know why her face was all red.

"Why she red in the cheeks, mamma?" I asked.

"Oh, what am I supposed to do with ya?" Mamma cooed, rubbin mah cheeks like the day I was born. "I'm so damn proud of ya, Shirou. Ya only one year away from finishin high school. Yer daddy woulda been so darn proud."

"Ya think so, mamma?"

"I know so," Mamma smiled like she always did. Her smile always loved it when mah mamma smiled. It reminded me that even when times is rough, I can always depend on mah mamma.

It made me sad after supper was over, though. I sat there wonderin how Jeanne grew up without a mamma. Her papa, from what I could tell, ain't that nice. Her sisters and her was separated too. She only had her grandma now, and even then I coulda see that sometimes she was starvin and weak-limbed.

But mah mamma was the best. She tried to make sure Jeanne didn't hadda go to school hungry. Mah mamma always gave Jeanne advice and what to do and what not to do.

"I'm always here if ya need me Jeanne," I said once. I wanted to show her I was here for her too. Even at the time when I didn't know what went on with her, I could still see she had a lotta pain inside. I don't like that. I don't like seein folks in pain. We was sittin on mah front porch. It was a real starry night and there was a full moon too. For once, Jeanne looked like she was truly at peace for once. She smiled at me and gave me a warm hug. She leaned on mah shoulder and wrapped an arm around mah waist.

"Thank ya, Shirou," Jeanne said to me, "well I'll be, look at that Shirou! Over yonder!" She pointed at the sky and I saw a bunch of streaks of light zooming through the sky.

"What is that, Jeanne?" I asked.

"Meteors, Shirou," Jeanne explained, "also known as afallin star. Go on now, Shirou. Ya can make a wish!" Now, I didn't actually know what I had wished for that day. I just remembered it involvedmakin Jeanne happy, mah mamma happy, and everyone I cared about happy.

* * *

"Say, when did em football coaches listed ya down as a prospect?" Arthur asked, "that's how ya got into college right?"

"About the same day I met yer sister," Shirou stated, "not Nero...but Lily."

"Really? I'll be damned," Arthur smiled.

* * *

I remember it was like the beginnin of the last year of high school. Golly, it seemed like the last year was a lotta more relaxin than the one before. One day, me and Cú were runnin again. Not from bullies, but some crazy girl named Medb. Why? 'Cause she wanted to do weird things to Cú, things I don't understand and things I don't want ta really know!

"COME BACK HERE MY LOVE!" Medb would scream.

"GET THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM ME YA HAG!" Cú shouted back. We were runnin for our lives. This gal was rich, so she had her butler chase after us in a limousine! The other day, she hadda an army of men in suits chase us with machetes. The day before that, she tried chasin us on a motorcycle! There we was, runnin so hard dust was pickin up from underneath our feet.

The story goes that Medb liked boys a lot and they usually liked her. But Cú didn't like her, he said if his mamma don't like her, he don't like her. Also Cú liked fishin more than he liked women.

Medb, everybody could tell she had gone mental because of that. She started stalkin and spyin on us. She started threatenin Jeanne but Jeanne is real tough. Medb tried to touch me and Jeanne gave her one good punch to her gut and she was unconscious for the rest of the week!

"Cú, who is that pink-haired gal outside your window?" Jeanne asked one time, "and why does she have a camera? And is that a wrench? Why she have a wrench?" Cú's mamma threw her spear at Medb and she ran away, but she always tried coming back for more.

"Stay away from my son!" Shishou Scáthach started threatenin her with a loaded rifle and that's only when she started to stop comin to Cú's house, "I'll put a bullet in yer arse, ye fookin whore!"

"Ya don't understand, future mother-in-law! It is meant to be! It's true love!" Medb would say as she ran away. I don't reckon I ever saw Shishou so damn angry! Medb started to come over to mah house and even mah mamma started gettin angry. When mah mamma started getting angry, she gets angry!

"Hure! Hündin! Schlampe! Geh von meinem Rasen runter!" Mamma would yell while she chased Medb with a sword she got from mah papa long ago. She would always resort back to German when she's mad. "Bleib weg von meinen Kindern! Du verdammte Hure! Sterben! Stirb du Hure, STIRB!" Sometimes mah mamma chased her with a loaded shotgun!

Medb wanted Cú alright. Also, she kept tryin to hit him with a whip, and we thought that was just plain wrong since days like that in the South was over!

Now, I don't reckon I have a clue on why she wanted to get Cú so bad. Cú liked girls, he sure did. But he always had this sayin that if "mah mama don't like you, then why the hell should I like ya too?"

His advice was pretty accurate, 'cause a lotta of em girls he rejected I found later workin in weird clubs and doin somethin called LSD and crack all the time.

But anyway, while she was chasin us, I told Cú we should go different directions! Now, for some damn reason, she thought I was Cú! I kept runnin and runnin till I got to this one fence and I hopped over it, but Medb kept followin! Apparently, there was a football game goin on, but I didn't care, I just wanted to survive!

* * *

Arthur remembered that game. He was in the stands with and his grandpa, who was the coach, and a few college scouts was in the stands. Once they saw that boy runnin, they were amazed. Even the football players were so amazed they all stopped in their tracks.

"Holy shit, who the hell is that?" One of the scouts asked.

"Shirou Emiya," Arthur's dad replied, "he's the local idiot."

"Local idiot or not, that boy can run hella fast!" The scouts laughed like they had found their man, "trucks like a bull too!"

"Ya ain't thinkin of makin him a prospect, are ya?" Arthur's grandpa questioned.

"Why the hell not?" The scouts laughed.

* * *

So I kept runnin and runnin until I saw the limousine was not there no more. I jumped and yelled in triumph, only to realize I was lost. Gosh. So I kept wanderin around Mobile, not knowing where I was headed. Then that's when I met your sister.

"Ya lost or somethin?" I turned around to see a pretty blonde girl about mah height askin me. Her green eyes were pretty appealin ( _ **That's my sister!**_ _Shut up, Arthur and lemme tell mah story!)_ and she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Uh, no offense to Nero. She's third ( _ **I thought ya said Jeanne was first? Didn't ya say Nero was second?**_ _Stop tryin to confuse me, Arthur!_ ).

"Indeed I am, ma'am," I nodded. She smiled at me and laughed heartily.

"Well, no need for that, for I reckon we's around the same age," She said, "my name is Lily Pendragon. And your's?"

"Shirou Emiya, miss," I nodded solemnly. Mah voice was almost a whisper! Why? I was nervous! Real nervous. "I know who you are, miss. It's nice meetin ya." I felt heat comin to mah face and believe me, Arthur, I was tryin to make sure I didn't stutter.

"Emiya, eh? How's your mama 'n em?" Lily asked.

"Doing mighty fine, miss," I replied.

"Come on, I know where ya live," Lily smiled, "I always have ta walk past by ya house 'cause my brother can't ever wake up early." So we did. I forgot about Cú for a while 'cause it was fun walkin with Lily. She was a kind gal with a big heart and she was always calm, but she had the 1000-yard stare a lotta of the time.

"Is Arthur doin alright?" I asked.

"'Course he is, I'd be surprised if he ain't," Lily had told me, "he's an idiot, ya know that? And a glutton too, can't last two minutes without eatin like it was his last meal till Judgement Day."

"I know somethin about idiots," I said, "I am known as the town idiot accordin to all em kids at school?"

"So I've heard," Lily shrugged, "don't matter to me. As long as you's nice, why should anybody come along and hurt ya? We need nice people in this world. I rather have an idiot with a good heart than a smart bitch with a heart of horse shit."

"Me too," I nodded.

"Besides, I don't reckon ya that stupid," Lily said, "I just reckon ya a bit slower than em other kids. Not to mention we's in Alabama, people here are kinda slow. Hell, I'm damn sure half of em kids have parents that are cousins or somethin."

"Well, where ya from, Lily?" I asked.

"Virginia," Lily explained, "I don't like folks there either. Even with my Southern roots, I always felt this part of America is backwards. Look over yonder, Shirou." She pointed at two water fountains. I was confused. I never been to this part of the city.

"Why does it hava sign that says ' _colored_ ', Lily?" I asked.

"'Cause folks around here don't like black folk," Lily frowned, "or anybody who don't have the same skin and eyes. You's a Jap, ain't ya?" I nodded and Lily sighed. "America is an oddity. I can't understand it. How can ya call yourself a land of freedom and opportunity if ya treat ya own citizens like shit just 'cause of the color of em skin and not 'cause of the content of their character?"

"I think folks are just stupid in their own ways," I replied. Lily turned her heads towards me and gave me a smile.

"Ya right, Shirou, ya absolutely right," Lily chuckled, "come along now. We's gotta get ya home."

It was on that day I learned about racism. I feel kinda ashamed for not noticin it after livin down South for so long. I reckon folks bullied me 'cause I was a Jap too. As we walked, I finally noticed all em colored signs. I finally saw those black folks sittin in restaurants of white folks bein yelled at. I finally saw a lotta things. Lookin back, I reckon I still got a lotta things to learn.

I found it real easy ta talk ta Lily. She was a good listener and she always told good stories. She was like a teacher too! As night fell, she pointed and named stars and constellations in the sky, told me about the moon, and was kind enough to teach me some German while we was gettin back.

"Shirou!" Mamma ran out the door and hugged me. She checked everythin like I had gone through a hurricane or somethin. "Where were you!? Are ya hurt!?"

"I was just walkin, mamma!" I tried to tell her. Then mamma noticed Lily and stomped on over to her. That was the first time I saw Lily scared. Did ya sister ever get scared ( **No...like, never! That's the first time I ever heard of it.** )?

"What the hell did ya do to my son?" Mamma questioned.

"Ich verstehe nicht?" Lily squeaked. I learned she speaks German when she's scared.

"Was hast du mit meinem Sohn gemacht!?" Mamma began shakin Lily by the shoulders and everythin, "Sag mir! Willst du sterben?"

"She walked me home, mamma!" I yelled. Mamma stopped and looked at me like I was crazy.

"Really now?" Mamma asked. I nodded. "She ain't like her brother?"

"I'm actually educated, ma'am," Lily said tremblin from bein nervous. Mamma looked scared. Not of Lily or me, but herself. She looked into Lily's eyes and looked away fast. She hit herself a couple o' times, callin herself an idgit.

"I see," Mamma said slowly. Suddenly, she was happy again! "Aw, shucks! Golly, was that mighty rude of me, where are mah manners? I truly apologize." I could tell mamma felt real guilty and angry at herself. I reckon her love for me overrode her sense of reasonin. "Come along now, Lily, we gonna get ya some supper! I gotta thank ya for takin care of mah son."

But there was somethin else I noticed. Lily looked like she had just seen hell. I noticed she was strugglin real hard to breathe normally.

"Nah, I'm fine ma'am-"

" **You're going to eat supper young lady**."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lily nodded quickly. As we walked inside, we found Jeanne was cookin in the kitchen. Cú was sobbin his eyes out in his mamma's arms at our kitchen table.

"She's insane mama! Mad! Mental! Completely mental!" Cú sniffled, "she chasin me on horses, she chasin me on cars, and just yesterday she was chasin me with a bloody machete! I can't take this no more, mama! I'm afraid to go outside! Hell, I don't think I can sleep at night no more! She nearly killed Shirou here too!"

"There, there," Shishou Scáthach soothed him. However, her eye kept twitchin a lot. I felt a heavy presence in the room. It seemed like God almighty was rumblin up a storm!

"That girl is gonna die tomorrow," Lily whispered in mah ear.

"Shirou! You're back..." I don't reckon I had a clue back then why it happened, but Jeanne dropped like seven plates. It shattered al over the floor and we could only stare at what just happened. "And...Lily Pendragon is with you...oh, I'm so sorry!" She began picking up the pieces of ceramic from the floor and Lily came along ta help. Jeanne looked like she didn't want Lily around, but she didn't say much anyway.

"Shirou, hand me a broom, will ya?" Lily asked and so I did, "push it to the side for now. Judgin from your driveway, I reckon the garbage been already put out, yeah? And judgin from the empty bin over yonder, no one's put a bag in."

"Well, ain't ya observant," Mamma remarked. Lily gave mah mamma a genuine smile. But it was sad and not happy. I didn't like that. I don't like seeing folks sad.

"Ya learn a couple things when ya mama's Catholic and ya papa's Jewish," Lily said quietly. Lily didn't live with her parents. Her parents died about two months after she was born. So she lived with an uncle down mah street, while Arthur lived with his grandpa just across mah house.

That was until mah last year of middle school. Her uncle was apparently murdered. Mamma told me he was found stabbed to death and somebody kept hackin his body to pieces with an axe. They never caught the culprit. So, Lily then moved to your house, Arthur, and lived with you and Nero. I believe she got a lot better then.

Lily was a quiet gal at school. She was the smartest girl in the school, but she was real humble and never backed down. When I was younger I would always see bruises on her and sometimes even scars on her arms. I didn't know what was goin on in her house. She'd get bullied around a lot, but she always held her own. A lotta of em folks in town always said mean things about her. While you, Arthur, said you was a Protestant, Lily always identified herself as a Jew. Either way it made no difference. If she was Catholic, folks would hate her for not being Protestant. If she was Jewish, folks would hate her for not believin in Jesus.

But I knew she was hurtin. Real bad. While Jeanne fooled me with her smile and I was too dumb so I believed all her lies, Lily always looked sad. She never talked much until she moved outta her uncle's house. Even then she looked scared half the time. I hate myself for never reachin out. I didn't reach out 'cause I was scared. I was shy. I had the gitters in mah stomach every time I saw her. Until Cú, I was too scared to be friends with anybody else except Jeanne. Maybe Imma bigger idiot than I thought. I could never see things when they're right in front of me.

"Lord, let me be a guidin hand for these children before I die," Mamma whispered ta the Heavens as she looked at Lily. I saw Jeanne blush when she looked at me before we all managed to take our seats. I sat next to Lily and across from Jeanne. I saw pain in her eyes. It made me sadder than usual.

"What's for supper, Mrs. Emiya?" Jeanne asked.

"Beef stew and bread," Mamma replied. After a while, everyone looked cheerful. I was happy to see both Jeanne and Lily smile and happy to see Cú stop cryin and askin for more food.

Life was eventful. Things happen outta nowhere. I made two new friends and learn new things about life. Then again, mamma always said, " _life is like a box of chocolates. Ya never what ya gonna get._ "

* * *

 _A/N: I finally started working on this after like 2 years. I made the decision to add in more Fate characters as well create some dark contrast to the supposed naivety and cheerful tone to the last chapter. The story is essentially Shirou's journey on discovering the world and his adventures as the years go by. Cú is presented as Shirou's first friend beside Jeanne. Their adventures will get pretty hectic later on. Some of Jeanne's backstory is also revealed, and that'll play into later chapters. Lily is another character that'll be central to chapters to come. Both her and Jeanne, with their personal problems and backgrounds, will be a major point in the plot._

 _Thanks for reading. Who else would you like to see in the story? I recall I haven't shown Nero yet._


	3. Life Is A Learning Experience

Apparently, when I ran across that field, some folks were so amazed that they said I was gonna go ta college on a football scholarship! Could ya believe it? I managed ta get in too.

"You're jokin, right?" Lily asked one day. She and I and Cú had decided ta go fishin one week right before school would start. Lily was lookin at mah papers and was ecstatic to find I was headin ta the same college. The University of Alabama! "Well, I'll be! Ya tell ya mama yet?"

"Naw, not yet," I shook mah head.

"Sweet lordy, you know what this means, Shirou?" Lily said giddily, "it means ya don't have ta pay a single dime! Hell, do ya even know how ta play football?" Me and Cú looked at each other with a second of confusion on our faces.

"I reckon I do," I stated. Lily sighed and placed a hand on mah shoulder.

"Good lord, what in the Virgin Mary am I suppose to do with you?" Lily chuckled.

Now, Lily was stupid good in a lotta things. She was smartest kid in mah school, could play every sport ( _Yer sister could play football better than most of the team_ ), speak a lotta languages, knew like a gigillion martial arts, and...( _Arthur, do ya think ya sister was trained by the CIA or somethin?_ _ **Hell should I know, Shirou?**_ ) well, she turned out ta have never fished before?

Ya woulda reckon after outsmartin the mafia ( _ **WAIT A FUCKIN MINUTE, she did what!?**_ _Lemme tell mah story, Arthur!_ ) in Chicago that ya think she hadda seen it all! But nope! Turns out that Lily had never ever been ta or even touch the waters of Alabama! Lily was real nervous. She was rather jittery, more than I had ever seen her.

"On a good day, especially when it rains, ya can catch like a hundred different kinds of fish," Cú would say, "big fish, little fish. Maybe a lobster if ya lucky! _High ho the ocean sea, may the waters come with thee! Give me some salmon, give some tuna, give me as much as the eye can see! Give me a lobster, give me a shrimp, give me not two, but three!_ "

"Lily, are ya alright?" I asked while Cú was singin like a broken record. While we was in the boat, I saw Lily was real pale, like her face was as white as the sun ( _ **The sun is yellow, Shirou.**_ _But it looks white when ya look up!_ _ **Why the hell are ya lookin up? Ya tryna go blind or somethin?**_ _I always have sunglasses on, Arthur._ _ **Lordy, the hell am I supposed to do with ya?**_ ).

"Naw, I'm mighty good," Lily reassured.

"I don't think ya suppose to be leanin on the ledge too much unless ya feelin sick or somethin," I remarked.

"Oh, ya think?" Lily said rather sarcastically. Her voice became quiet after that. "I'm afraid of the water. My daddy would always bring me to a tub full of water, sometimes even the ocean, and well...it ain't pretty."

"Well, your daddy ain't here no more!" I replied happily, "ya got us now! With us, the water's always pretty!" Lily's frown turned into a small grin and she chuckled. I always found it odd how come she only smiles around me.

"I guess so," Lily shrugged, "now, if I can just learn how to fish..." She was holdin a large fishin pole and was restin it on her shoulder. She looked real comfortable, but she looked like she don't know a thing about what ta do fishin.

"I can teach ya," I said, "I thought all folks from Alabama knew how ta fish."

"I ain't from Alabama, Shirou," Lily laughed, "I'm from Virginia, remember? Though, the reason I don't really know how to fish is 'cause I never really tried."

"Do ya miss Virginia, Lily?" I asked.

"Of course I do," Lily nodded sincerely.

I noticed...she smiled. Not like a jokin or some sad one. It looked like...peace. Looked like good times were goin through Lily's head, like she was rememberin happier and a lot better times.

Imma admit. That smile made me feel happy too. I don't know why. I reckon it's 'cause I didn't sleep much the night before. But mah heart heated faster than usual and I felt mah face heat up. I decided that moment that I wanna protect that smile for as long as mah legs can move.

"Even if I don't like the folks there...it's mah home," Lily said softly, a warm glint in her eyes. The sun was settin real low and I was amazed on how Lily's hair was glowin like gold in the sunlight. I was barely payin any attention ta what she said 'cause I was too focused on her eyes and the warm glow of the sun on her. The breeze was settin in, and her hair was blowin softly in the wind. It was a pretty sight to see.

"Really now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Lily nodded, "great Mama Virginia...Old Dominion...I recall every second. Virginia...Virginia is God's greatest design when he made this Earth. The most majestic of mountains, rolling hills, greenest of the green forests, the greatest of rivers leadin to the ocean blue we call the Atlantic."

Lily laughed softly ta the waters next ta the boat, the sun makin her look like she was glowin.

"The cities...are well, amazin," Lily continued, "actually, Washington is just across the Potomac and when I was young, I would always be strollin through that city and Northern Virginia. The south is fine as well but...I don't like the folks there for a reason. Too many of em are stuck in em days back when we had the Civil War. Bastards can't move on from the past and are still stuck with this ugly attitude of prejudice...but Virginia is a Southerner through and through. We's kinda stupid after all. We ain't perfect and it'll take time but ain't that like every single other state in this country?"

"I reckon so," I replied.

"How about you, Shirou?" Lily asked, "what's Alabama to you?" I thought long and real hard. What was Alabama to me?

"I...it's home," I said, "sweet home Alabama is...is home. It ain't the nicest of places, no-sirree, and it ain't the kindest ta me, but it's home. I was born here, mah mamma lives here, and I met you, Cú, and Jeanne here too."

"Ya ever get tired of all of this meanness in the world?" Lily asked. She was frownin now and her eyes looked real gloomy.

"Mamma always said that, ' _the toughest of places are the places where ya learn the important things and can become better,_ ' so I reckon Alabama is home 'cause this is where I grow as a person," I replied. We stayed silent like that for a while, while Cú was just tryin ta get another lobster.

"I'd like to see Virginia again," Lily stated.

"Can I come along?" I asked quickly. Lily looked surprised and her cheeks turned a bit pink for some reason.

"Of course ya can," Lily smiled again, "I reckon bein alone ain't a good thing."

"Mamma always said loneliness is what kills a man early," I stated and Lily laughed.

"Well, your mama always was real smart," Lily chuckled, "say...Shirou?"

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Would ya ever like ta...visit Chicago with me one day?" Lily asked, "not New York, but Chicago. Always wanted to visit."

"Of course I will," I replied happily, "I like adventure!" Lily only laughed heartily and asked how ta fish. I just spent the rest of the day teachin her how ta fish. Lily was for some reason a fast learner. She caught about 50 in an hour and even got like a dozen lobsters. Cú proclaimed we was gonna eat the greatest supper that night, so we marched ourselves back to mah house.

"Ya ain't going home, Lily?" Cú asked.

"No one is ever around, so why bother?" Lily had replied. Well, that felt real depressin, I thought.

"Where's ya brother?" Cú had asked and Lily just waved it off like it didn't really matter.

"Always off doin somethin," Lily had stated, "Arthur was never around anyway, so what difference would it make anyway?" Then, in a more quiet voice, she said, "and the rest of my family for that matter."

It was then I realized me and Cú were her first friends. She always looked like she was alone whether it be school or even outside of school. It made me sad but happy at the same time ta be the first person she could call a friend.

* * *

Arthur had plenty of regrets. His biggest one was not looking after his sister. His poor, broken sister who never received any kind of love until Shirou came along. He will admit. He was stupid back then. Reckless and carefree, never seeing the things in front of him that matter. He should've been a brother instead of an absentee family member. Perhaps he deserved a bigger punishment than just losing both his legs and an arm in Vietnam.

* * *

From that day onward, me, Cú, and Lily became like a the Musketeers or somethin. We was a trio, and we did almost everythin together. So there we was, goin back to mah house, where I saw Jeanne on the front porch readin a book. Jeanne was a rather quiet and keepin-it-ta-herself kinda gal. At this point, Jeanne had practically moved into mah house. Mamma gave Jeanne her own room and she had most of a stuff here.

She knew when ta talk, when not ta talk, and when ta just walk away. Sometimes ya wouldn't even notice she was there. I always said she coulda be a ninja is she wanted. I reckon Jeanne was as smart as Lily, but the thing was she really didn't like studyin. Well, she didn't like school in general.

"Oh, y'all finally back, huh?" Jeanne said when she looked up at all of us.

"Yessiree, I got me some hundred or some fish!" Cú grinned like a happy dog.

"Ya mean I caught half of it for ya," Lily laughed and Cú turned red as a tomato, "come in along y'all, we got some fish to cook." More like Jeanne was the one doin the cookin. Jeanne was a hell of a good chef. She had her French heritage mixed in with her Southern roots and she was so inventive she made some of the best meals ever!

"Hey, Shirou?" Jeanne asked while we was in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Jeanne?" I replied. She had a soft smile on her face when she looked at me. I got a feelin like mah heart skip like a beat. I don't know what the term is called to be honest.

"Come along with me to church, on Sunday?" Jeanne asked sincerely, "it gets real lonely when ya got no one to pray with." I nodded quickly. Now, I never was the one to believe in God a lot, but mah mind I just said 'sure, why the hell not?'

"What ya makin there, Jeanne?" I asked.

"Just some grilled fish and vegetables," Jeanne explained, "here, try some." I took a bite. It was great! "Ya like it?" I nodded. Words really can't explain it. "Well, I'm happy ya do."

When supper was ready, everybody had taken their seats. Mamma had come home from goin ta town all day and I saw she immediately snatched the cuttin knife that Lily washoldin, like she was afraid somethin bad was gonna happen. We said our prayers and we ate. Jeanne also made peach cobbler and apple pie. I discovered Lily wanted a piece of that pie, so we kinda just ate all of thedessert by ourselves.

* * *

"My sister was always one hell of a glutton," Arthur stated, "if I recall, she ate all of the pie at Thanksgiving once. We had to go without dessert."

"That's rough," Shirou said with a look of pity.

* * *

The next day, me and Cú were on the lookout for ducks. We was in the wetlands of Alabama, near the waters of the delta. Why? Cú wanted ta eat ducks so that's why. Now, I don't reckon Cú was of age to be holdin a gun, but then again it's Alabama. People love guns in the South for some reason.

"I thought ya like fishin, Cú?" I asked.

"Well, mama wanted some duck, so here I am," Cú stated, "who am I to deny my mama?" Then, our hearts froze in fear! We heard the sound of a rifle being shot in the air. Lordy, was it scary! "Is that who I think it is?"

"You're damn right!" Medb had returned! This time she was on a boat. Unfortunately, Cú's mama couldn't kill the crazy girl last time. When she tried, we discovered that the police were everywhere at Medb's house. "COME BACK, MY LOVE! WE CAN BECOME ONE! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT! YOU KNOW YOU'LL LOVE IT!"

"What does she want that I might fookin want?" Cú wondered.

"It can't be somethin good," I replied.

"Maybe it's more fish!" Cú exclaimed.

"I don't reckon Medb likes fish," I said, "she looks like a cow person."

"Bloody hell," Cú frowned, "I guess ya right. No fisherwoman would be that bloody mad enough to love beef."

"Cú, is it reasonable for a girl ta be walkin around with no shirt on?" I asked. Indeed, Medb only had a skirt on and that's about it. I reckon God decided ta sleep on that day, 'cause we was stuck with a lunatic.

"I believe that's illegal," Cú remarked. Anyway, we tried to run. Then Medb launched a net at us! Like a fishin net! We kicked and struggled but the damn thing wouldn't give!

We were trapped! Like a kitty cat caught eating pizza rolls! I know Shishou Scáthach said near-death experiences build character, but I didn't wanna die so soon! I didn't get ta visit the land of Canadia yet!

( _ **Why didn't ya use your rifles?**_ _I...I never thought about that._ )

She wrapped us in chains and everythin! I don't know why she wanna tie us up outta nowhere. The next thing we knew, we was being thrown into a pickup truck 'cause we had our backs on the floor, all we saw was the sky. It had been early mornin. But as the sky was turnin blue ta orange ta pink, we began ta wonder if we was bein kidnapped. Turns out we were.

"I don't reckon we in Alabama anymore," I said.

"Yeah? What makes ya think that, mate?" Cú asked.

"I saw a sign that said we's in Tennessee," I replied.

"Isn't that south of Alabama?" Cú asked.

"I reckon it's up north," I replied again.

"So we's really kidnapped, huh?" Cú said blankly, "this crazy hag has gone completely mad and is gonna be takin us down to the depths of Hell where the devil and em live and we'll be tortured for all eternity the vultures of Hades." I blinked at that. When Cú gets scared, he makes up some pretty weird stories.

"Aw shucks, don't cry Cú!" I stated.

"I ain't cryin," Cú replied, even though in the moonlight I could see he had tears goin down his eyes. "I just wanna see my mama, that's all."

"I wanna see mah mamma too," I nodded.

"Oh, to hell with everythin!" Cú sniffled, "I just like to go home! I just wanna have mama make me some stew and colcannon. I'da do anythin to get that!" Now, if ya haven't noticed by now, Cú was a mamma's boy. He tries ta deny it a lotta of the time, but he loves his mamma more than anythin else in the world.

Suddenly, the truck came ta a stop. We heard Medb laugh maniacally as she jumped outta her pickup truck. She began draggin us off the truck and through what looked like a forest!

"You's insane, ya hag!" Cú screamed.

"Fufufu, I love it when you struggle," Medb said creepily, "it makes me more in heat..." We looked at each other really confused. We didn't know what the hell she meant.

"Hey Cú, why is there a burnin cross in the middle?" I asked. She brought us ta like a clearin where a bunch of folkswere in this huge circle wearin white cloaks and some pointy hats. A lotta of em also had like a bunch o' torches in their hands. I reckoned that musta been preparin for an adventure or somethin. It looked rather stupid. I don't reckon any folks from the rest of the country woulda been wearin that stuff.

* * *

"YOU WERE IN A KKK RALLY!?" Arthur questioned. It was a Sunday afternoon, where they were just coming back home from church.

"That's what it's called?" Shirou asked in sheer curiosity.

"How in tarnation did y'all survive!?" Arthur asked incredously.

"Ya see, it goes like this..."

* * *

"Oi, oi, oi!" Cú shouted, "what the hell are ya doin to Shirou ya bastard!?" So Medb was draggin me towards the burnin cross. I was tied up so I really couldn't do much.

"Fellow members of the supreme race!" Medb stated.

"Supreme? I don't recall any race being supreme," I stated, "you remember any race bein supreme, Cú?"

"I don't even know what the bloody hell she's talkin about," Cú replied.

"Shaddup!" Medb responded before going back to her cult thingy, "today we cleanse Mr. Cú Bisset of his sins! The sin of hangin out the yellow man! Not just any yellow man, a Jap!"

"Oh, come on! Is that really necessary!?" Me and Cú said at the same time.

"He's been bewitched! They're speaking at the same time!" One of those cloaked people shouted.

"What the literal fuck are ya doin here?" Cú screamed at the man, "take off ye fookin hood ya bastard!" So the man did. "AHA! I knew it was ye Diarmuid!"

"Not my fault, lad! The crazy bitch threatened to cut off my wee little banger!" Diarmuid tried to argue.

"That's not an excuse ya cunt! Why didn't ya go off to Canadia or somethin?" Cú yelled.

"Where the bloody Brits are!?" Diarmuid questioned.

"Ya already surrounded by a bunch of fookin wankers everywhere ya go so what difference would it bloody make!?" Cú retorted, "go back to Ireland!"

"Anyway! We shall cleanse Mr. Bisset of this filth! And he shall be once and forever mine!" Medb began to laugh maniacally. Now, I don't know if ya ever watch one of em James Bond movies. She's like every bad guy ever in those films.

"Aye, I reckon I musta stumbled upon somethin."

"Lily!" Me and Cú yelled happily. There she was, with a loaded crossbow over her shoulder, a bottle of tea in her hand.

"Good lordy, the hell y'all doin here?" Lily asked curiously, lookin around the place. "Oh, my horn musta been a tootin! I knew some folks were doin some ritual! Real shady, eh? I doubt the Lord would like it if all y'all

"What's your purpose, here?" Medb questioned.

"Oh no, Whore of Babylon," Lily said jokingly, "please walk backwards towards the fire. I heard witches melt like candle wax."

"Cheeky little shit," Medb let go of me and started ta walk towards Lily.

"Now that's just plain ugly," Lily pointed her finger at Medb, "ya ever consider becomin a nun? Lord knows a sinnin, good for nothin, two timin, cock suckin, dick ridin, gold diggin, mad whorin, completely mental motherfucker who's better at kidnappin innocent boys than bein a productive member of this motherfuckin society could use some prayin and some repentin!"

Well hell, that was a mouthful. I didn't know Lily had it in her. It was that day I found out Lily was one sarcastic and witty person, whatever that last word means. Us folks from the South are usually nice people. We take things slow and nice, relax, and like our mamma's peach cobbler. If ya don't count the racism, we's some friendly folk. I reckoned Lily musta been in Boston for a week. I heard folks over there are mean.

( _ **Ya obviously never been to Jersey, have ya?**_ _Why? Is it bad?_ _ **Lemme just say I think we should make it a separate country.**_ _)_

"Hey, Jeanne!" Lily shouted, "I'll handle the other folks, ya just handle Mary Poppins over here!" By handle, Lily meant she was gonna shoot half the folks there. Which she did. They was blunt arrows. But every time she fired, blood woulda been splattering all over 'cause the arrows would break the skin and crack the bone. Pretty ugly stuff.

Why she had a crossbow? Turns out mah mamma just gave her it.

I don't know why ya sister was so nonchalant when shootin those folks that day, but she was real good at it. All headshots! She spared that Diarmuid guy though, just told him to scatter. She later told me hurtin him woulda been like hurtin a sick puppy.

Jeanne, on the other hand, ran outta nowhere from the forest and kicked Medb like a ninja! Medb tumbled a little bit before she got back up.

"How ya doin?" Jeanne smiled. I reckon I was more scared of Jeanne that time than the burnin fire cross in the background. Her smile was pretty like always. But for some reason, I felt chills down mah spine 'cause of that.

Medb suddenly became madder than a wet hen! Her eyes were glintin in murderous rage! She ran at Jeanne full force and tried ta swing at her. But Jeanne is like a superhero or somethin. Jeanne dodged it with grace! She was bobbin and weavin, dodging and parryin every time Medb was tryna attack!

"Am I watchin two women fightin or am I watchin two ninjas?" Cú wondered out loud.

Jeanne blocked a swing and then went on the offensive. Ya know how Bruce Lee is famous nowadays? Yeah, I reckon he got all of his moves and screamin tendencies from Jeanne somehow.

It was a super combo! Hook, jab, jab, hook, cross, uppercut, underhand ta the gut, jab, cross, knee ta the groin, then a overhand ta the face, and then Jeanne did like this super acrobatic kick where she jumped in the air and spun around and kicked Medb across the jaw.

Medb tried ta attack with hits of her own! But she kept missin and Jeanne kept slappin her across the face. Jeanne suddenly caught Medb's fist and frowned. She then started hittin Medb with her own fist!

"Why ya hittin yourself? Why ya hittin yourself?" Jeanne asked. Well, Jeanne, it's because you were hittin her with her own fist.

"I just feel sad for her at this point," Cú sighed. Jeanne quickly then reeled Medb in and landed a hard punch ta the face.

"Jesus Christ almighty, that shit has gotta hurt," Lily winced while she was untying Cú.

Medb wasn't so deterred, however, and she tried kickin Jeanne across the head. Jeanne ducked and spun around, backhandin Medb across the face. She dodged Medb's punch, elbowin her across the cheek and kneein her in the gut. She then used her elbow to strike Medb's nose! I'm damn sure I heard that crack.

"HIYAH!" Jeanne suddenly grabbed Medb's arm and she flipped her over her back and slammed the livin shit outta her onto the ground! I reckon Medb had the willpower of the devil or somethin. She kept on tryin!

"Ow," Medb groaned, "you can't defeat me ya worthless-" Jeanne stomped on her face ta shut her up. Me and Cú got up and for some reason we started ta bow down ta Jeanne like she was a goddess or somethin. Ta be fair, she is in mah eyes, but that's not the point.

"Jeanne d'Arc, our lord and savior!" We said, "thank you Lord almighty for savin us! All hail Jeanne! _Oh, Jeanne can you see, by the Great Jeanne's mornin light, over the ramparts she hailed-"_

"H-H-Hey cut that out," Jeanne stuttered. Her face turned as red as a cherry pie! "I was just doin my best..."

"Jeanne!" Cú exclaimed, "ya gotta teach me those moves!"

"B-B-But-"

"Jeanne! Jeanne!" I said, "how did ya do that?"

"W-Well, ya see..." Jeanne turned real quiet after that and just looked down at the ground blushin red.

( _ **Ya like pie too much.**_ _Well, what do ya prefer, Arthur?_ _ **I like cake a lot.**_ _Then ya should just stop bein American. What are ya, British?_ _ **Hey!**_ )

"Sweet mother of God, ya gave the bitch a whippin!" Lily remarked as she walked towards us.

"Can't be too bad," Jeanne shrugged before kickin Medb hard in the side. If there's one thing I'll admit, Arthur, it's that women scare me. Women terrify me. Not ta mention the mood did like a twist when Lily reached us.

"Well, might as well hide em somewhere or bury em alive," Lily sighed, "can't be havin this be taken up to the courts."

( _ **What in the literal fuck, how this got so dark!?**_ _It...Actually, I don't know, Arthur, it just did._ )

Me and Cú watched on in fascination at their conversation. We never really saw this dark side of both em before. It was terrifyin ta the core. Those cloaked folks were still alive I reckoned! Why kill em, I thought. It would just be plain cruel.

"Ya just gonna leave em here?" I asked.

"Shirou, if any of this gets word to the police, we'll be executed," Lily said blankly, "besides, ya ain't white or real rich. Folks could spin anythin in their favor and you'll be done for."

"Speakin of which, shoulda we kill the little shit?" Jeanne asked.

"Don't know, but I reckon she'll find one way or another to make up a story to get us all killed," Lily frowned, "she's rich too. Her family is all over Alabama's system. We'll be dead by mornin if this gets word. Us, well, I don't reckon I can afford a lawyer. Shirou? Well..."

"He's gonna get lynched," Jeanne muttered.

"We can't just kill her!" I argued, "it's wrong!" I know Medb was tryin to kill us and all, but back then I was never used ta the idea of death or even killin somebody! I'd hate ta see that type of ugly in the world. Cú stayed silent the whole time. I don't know what in the hell he was thinkin that time.

"I know it is," Lily said quietly, "but who are they gonna believe? You? Or her? It don't matter that yer the one who got kidnapped. It ain't gonna matter if she was tryna kill ya or not. That's how America works, Shirou. The unfortunate have to suffer at the hands of the fortunate. I'd hate to see ya die 'cause of her lies."

"Well...I reckon we could just knock her head a couple more times," Jeanne stated, "enough head trauma, makes loss of memory."

"Now that's a better option," Cú nodded. I finally relented ta the plan.

"There's a river around here," Lily sighed, "let's just dump em in there." So...we did. They was still alive. Maybe they mighta hit a few rocks here and there, but I reckoned they'll all live ta see the mornin.

"How'd ya find us?" I asked.

"I saw Medb's car, had a bad feelin, so I just followed," Jeanne explained once we got back ta their car, "there was no time ta call the police. Nearest phone was a mile away. Hell, any more wasted time and I reckoned I woulda been cryin my eyes out."

[ _This is the 60's right now. Most phones aren't mobile, but are at home phones with a rotary. Hell, people still have phone books at this time._ ]

"Jeanne...why were you and Lily so...casual when you was talkin about killin em folks?" I asked worriedly. Lily was drivin. Cú had already fallen asleep and mutterin somethin about salmon.

"Well...we came to a compromise," Jeanne muttered, "life always been rough for both of us, Shirou. I'm not gonna stand here and say that what we was about to do was right. It was wrong, but you gotta make tougher decisions as life go on. I'll be damned if you and Cú was gonna die 'cause of that crazy hag. Killin her woulda been wrong. But I'd rather have you alive than her...a-a-as selfish as that sounds."

"Were you really gonna kill her?" I asked.

"I don't know," Jeanne admitted, "words are words, actions are actions. Maybe I woulda have."

"I hope you never do," I stated. I held out mah hand and Jeanne looked surprised before she put her hand in mine. She squeezed it tight like she wanted ta have some sense of peace.

"I hope so too," Jeanne gave me a sad smile andwe road back ta sweet home Alabama.

* * *

"That's...rather interestin," Arthur remarked, "I question your life sometimes. It seems like ya just goin all over the place."

"I reckon I am," Shirou nodded, "I reckon I am."

* * *

From that day onward, I learned even the nicest of people can have real dark sides. When I got back, mah mamma hugged me like the world was gonna end or somethin. Turns out I wouldn't be seein Medb for awhile since apparently, she had gone missin.

The days leadin up ta the beginnin of mah last year of school were real interestin ta say the least. It was a Saturday mornin. I decided ta run around Mobile 'cause I had nothin else ta do. It was mah first time alone in the bigger parts of town. Shishou Scáthach had Cú stay at home 'cause she was afraid he was gonna get kidnapped again. In her own words, she said, " _that boy is gonna do somethin stupid and get himself killed, whether it be goin off to war or gettin hit by a deer._ "

Now, mah mamma always said, " _the world ain't real pretty. Folks hate each other for the dumbest of reasons. Don't judge people just 'cause they crippled, believe in a different god, or they have a different color. Judge people by the good of their heart. It's up to you to be a shinin light in the world, Shirou._ "

So there I was, runnin and runnin all over Mobile. I was hungry after a while, so I decided ta look around for a place ta eat. But unfortunately, everywhere was full! I checked one diner, it was full. Another diner, it was full. Even the bakery was full! Now, I was starvin and really needed somethin ta eat, so I kept runnin around ta look for someplace that was open. Finally, I came upon another diner. It was full like the rest of em, but there was one more seat! So I ran in ta get it before anybody else.

Now, for some reason, everybody was standin and lookin real mad and stuff. A lotta of folks were screamin some real ugly things that would even make a baby surprised. I kept sayin excuse me ta get through and finally, I got ta mah seat!

"Where's the waitress?" I wondered.

"We don't serve your folk, boy," One man in the crowd told me, "now get outta here."

"Get outta here? I just got here, sir," I replied, "can I get like a dozen pancakes, ma'am?" The lady behind the counter just gave me a weird look and walked away. "Well that's mighty odd."

"They ain't gonna serve ya food, kid." I turned ta mah right ta see a man with brown skin and golden eyes, and a beard too, speakin ta me. He looked kinda old, like maybe 70-ish?

"And why's that, sir?" I asked, "I just want some pancakes."

"Well, ya a Nip, that's why," The man told me.

"Nip? Is that like a food from Mississippi or somethin? I heard they come up with weird names," I replied. The man gave me a surprised look and had a small grin on his face.

"Well, I ain't gonna be eatin much here either," The man shrugged, "they don't serve black folk like me here."

"Did ya ask if you could yet?" I asked, "mah mamma always said to ask."

"Really now? Well, I tried, and now here I am," The man told me.

"Get outta here nigger!" I heard somebody yell.

"Sir, what does that word mean?" I asked in confusion.

"Ya been livin in Alabama all these years and not once did ya understand that word?" The man asked and I shook mah head.

"I reckon she grumpy she and all em other folks ain't gettin food too," I replied, "nobody likes ta start off mornin without any food."

"Tell me, kid," The man said, "are ya stupid or somethin?"

"As stupid as stupid gets," I told him and the man laughed heartily. I turned around confused on why all em other folks in the diner were yellin and stuff.

"Don't mind em," The man said, "my mother calls me Ramses, but my name is Mr. Ozymandias. How about you, young man?"

"Shirou Emiya," I replied, "mah name is Shirou Emiya...mah mamma calls me Shirou." I looked around the diner again. "How come nobody sittin down? It's tirin to stand so long."

"Because nobody wanna sit down near a black man," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "they actin like they'll catch a disease or somethin."

"Mah mamma said always ta wash your hands and cover your sneeze and you'll be fine," I stated. He laughed at mah comment. "Why is you sittin here, sir, if nobody wanna sit near ya and not give ya food?"

"I'm protesting for my rights," Mr. Ozymandias explained, "ya see, Shirou, white folk and non-white folk ain't equal in this country. Folks don't like me 'cause I'm black. That means they can do things like not serve me food if they don't wanna just 'cause of my skin."

"But that's dumb," I said, "food is food. It's part of everyday life, Mr. Ozymandias!"

"Oh, I know that," Mr. Ozymandias sighed, "but I don't have the same civil rights as these folks around us do. My supposed American freedom is different from their freedom. I don't got the same liberties as these folks here. To these folks, you and I are probably not even people."

"I am a person," I said simply, "they must be blind. I don't see no sign that says we can't be served food, Mr. Ozymandias."

"The law can change all it wants, but people are harder to change," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "don't ya think ya should leave, Shirou? Ya gonna get hungry soon."

"Naw," I replied, "I reckon I'll stay. You look lonely anyway, Mr. Ozymandias. I know how it feels ta be lonely." He laughed sincerely and patted mah shoulder.

"Ya know what I think, Shirou?" Mr. Ozymandias stated, "that even though there's white folks and black folks and Asian folks, I reckon we all apart of the same one group."

"And what's that, Mr. Ozymandias?" I asked.

"Folks," Mr. Ozymandias replied, "just folks."

It was from that day forward that Mr. Ozymandias became mah mentor. He was an old man, I gotta say, always walkin around witha cane and he had these glasses shaped like the crescent of a moon.

Ya could always find Mr. Ozymandias at his farm close by Mobile, always lookin at the sky in his rockin chair. He was from Georgia! Where...wherever that is. Anyway, Mr. Ozymandias became another teacher in mah life. While Jeanne and Lily taught me basic school stuff, Shishou Scáthach taught me how ta fish, and mamma taught me how ta be kind, Mr. Ozymandias taught me the truths and ugliness of the world.

"My granddad and my daddy were slaves back in the day," Mr. Ozymandias explained ta me one day when I decided ta visit him. We was makin cookies that day. "Luckily I was born a while after we was all freed."

"Slaves?" I asked, "mah friend told me that's what the Civil War was fought over."

"Some folks will tell ya the South just wanted to preserve their state rights," Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "but truthfully, the whole issue always comes back to slavery. Don't believe everythin ya see in school, Shirou. Some folks have done a real good job of makin the South look like the poor good guys in em history books."

"So what happened to your granddad?" I asked.

"He was shot to death, right before any slaves were freed durin that war," Mr. Ozymandias sighed, "my daddy lived though. Life wasn't so good for him either. When I was born, black folk were dyin left and right, I tell ya. Southerners were pretty angry still about how they lost the war."

"Mah mamma always said holdin on ta the past does you no good," I said.

"Your mama is a smart woman then," Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "I will admit. I was an angry person back then. I resented a lot of folks back in the day, full of hatred for a lotta o' people. My daddy was a free man. We had money and we had our own land. 'Cause of that, I was a bit...arrogant to say."

"And why's that?" I asked.

"It's 'cause I thought I was better than all em other black folks," Mr. Ozymandias said sadly, "I was more educated than everybody else and had money."

"So what changed?" I wondered.

"My daddy was lynched," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "along with my mama, my sister, and my brother was burned alive. Suddenly, almost everythin I had that made me think I was better than all em other black folks was gone. I hadda hit rock bottom." He sighed deeply as he sat down in his armchair when we was done with em cookies.

"Life gets tough a lot," I said.

"It does, especially when ya grow," Mr. Ozymandias frowned, "I crippled my leg in Europe durin that war back in 1917. My wife died of polio durin that economy crisis. My son died of that dastardly measles. Life is full of tragedy, Shirou. But when ya learn how to forgive and accept things, life gets easier. It means ya have let go of things holdin ya down."

"How are ya not angry at life, Mr. Ozymandias?" I asked and he laughed heartily like he always do.

"Well, maybe it's 'cause I learned life is rough, but anger never does anythin good," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "anger leads to hate, and hate leads to a bad world. Why spread more hate when this world just needs some kindness and love?"

* * *

"He was a good man," Arthur said quietly, "always had a smile on his face and that laugh to him. Never an ounce of negativity. I believe he made everyone's day brighter."

"I believe so too," Shirou agreed.

* * *

Then, it was a Sunday. I had promised ta come with Jeanne ta church, so I asked mamma ta pick out good clothes for me. For some reason mah mamma was hellbent on puttin a red suit on me. I wanted blue. But she kept tellin me no.

"Oh, look at ya," Mamma said endearingly, "all this for Jeanne?"

"I made a promise, mamma," I replied.

"Tell me, Shirou, do ya like Jeanne?" Mamma asked.

"Of course I like her," I said, "Jeanne is one hell of a likable person." Mamma sighed long and hard and depressin.

"That's not what I mean, Shirou," Mamma giggled, "I mean do ya...do ya like-like her?" I just tilted mah head ta the side in confusion. "Jesus H. Christ, I mean do ya love Jeanne?"

I practically froze right there and then. I wished mamma coulda sent me over yonder already.

"Uh...I...um...wha?" I stammered. Mamma laughed real hard and looked me straight in the eye.

"Do ya love Jeanne, Shirou?" Mamma asked, "'cause as oblivious as ya are, I reckon ya know what love is." I stayed silent. I reckon mah face turned real red 'cause it felt a lot hotter than usual.

"I...I...well-"

"How about this," Mamma chuckled, "do ya love...Lily?" I believe this was kinda too much for me that day, 'cause I hadda sit down.

"I...I reckon I love Jeanne," I finally replied.

"And Lily? From that look ya give her every time, looks like ya have a fancy for her," Mamma smiled, her hands on her hips.

"I...reckon I do too," I said and mamma sighed.

"I see," Mamma shook her head, "I don't reckon it'll be fair to love both at the same time. One or another yer gonna have to pick one."

"They're folks, mamma, not puppies at the pet store," I replied.

"Give it time, Shirou," Mamma said, "maybe you'll get understand later on."

I hadda walk ta church, since mamma said runnin would ruin mah dress shoes. So off I went ta pray ta Mr. Jesus.

* * *

 _A/N: This chapter was meant more as a time of learning for Shirou, as well as to add some context and depth to our characters. I introduced our Ozymandias as an old man, in order to personify a man who's seen plenty of things and is now much wiser than he was prior in his younger days. If ya haven't noticed, there will be some dark moments within the story. This is 1960s Alabama after all, Shirou will have no choice but to face the problems inflicting the country first hand. I hope ya enjoyed reading this chapter. We shall be catching up with Shishou next chapter when Shirou comes with Jeanne to church, where more shenanigans will transpire._


	4. Questions And Questions

The church was located right next ta police station in town and it was easy enough ta get ta.

"How ya doin ya little rascal?" Shishou Scáthach greeted me at the church doors. She was dressed

"Doin mighty well, Shishou," I replied. She smiled at me and ruffled up mah hair like she always do. "Where's Cú?"

"Stuck with his aunty for today," Shishou Scáthach sighed deeply, "she decided to come visit from Scotland and well, she wanted to stay for a while, lad."

Shishou hadda sister named Aífe. They was always fightin and arguin accordin ta Cú, and mah mamma said Aífe was a bit obsessive with Cú too. Shishou always said she was kinda worried about her sister, but not so much. It's not like they tried ta kill each other, if ya catch mah drift. Now that I think about it, why does Cú always get crazy women in his life? Poor bastard.

"I wish him the best of luck then," I nodded.

"Come along now, lad," Shishou Scáthach stated, "ya here to pray to God, ain't ya now?" The church was Catholic, the only one in all of Mobile. It was mah first time in church. I noticed a lotta o' folks were curious on why I was there.

"Why they lookin at me like that, Shishou?" I asked.

"Well, folks around here don't see Japs that often in churches, now do they?" Shishou Scáthach replied, "don't worry too much about it. Ya dressed up nice, lad, yer fine for the time being."

"I reckon so..." I muttered. Shishou was like mah second mamma if Imma be honest with ya, Arthur. When mah own mamma wasn't there, Shishou was there!

"Have ya eaten yet?" Shishou Scáthach asked and I nodded, "have ya grades improved at all?"

"I got a B- on the last English test!" I said proudly and she smiled at me.

"That's good, lad," Shishou Scáthach chuckled, "oh, there's the priest..." Shishou's face turned real grim real fast. It looked like she was gonna kill somebody!

"Ah, Ms. Bisset, it's wonderful to see ya here!" Now, Father Merlin was the priest of the church. He was a weird man with long white hair and what mamma called " _eyes of a trampin hoe-bag who woulda stuck his dong in a keyhole if he thought it felt good_." I didn't get what mah mamma meant. I don't reckon anybody can stick anythin but a key in a keyhole.

Shishou put a firm hand on mah shoulder like she was afraid I was gonna be taken away or somethin.

"Can't say I return the same feelins," Shishou Scáthach replied.

"Hon, hon, hon," Father Merlin chortled, "what do we have here? Ah, why, hello there little boy!" Shishou immediately pushed me behind her for some reason. Father Merlin looked real confused.

"I'm warnin ya!" Shishou Scáthach pointed a finger at him.

"Jesus H. Christ, Ms. Bisset, allow me to rephrase my wordin," Father Merlin coughed loudly, "my name is Father Merlin. I am always very welcomin of all folks who believe in the word of God!"

"Yes, very welcomin indeed," Shishou Scáthach muttered. Now, I don't understand why, but Shishou kept sendin prayers ta the Lord ta ensure the safety of every little boy and girl who goes ta the church and she kept prayin that they wouldn't be taken along with their innocence.

"Christ, Bisset, have some faith in me will ya now?" Father Merlin said exasperated.

"Ah, Shirou!" Mr. Ozymandias called ta me when I was lookin around for Jeanne. He was sittin front row, very close ta the altar.

"Mr. Ozymandias!" I greeted, "how are ya?"

"Coulda be doin better," Mr. Ozymandias shrugged. I began ta notice Mr. Ozymandias had bandages around his face and hands and all. He also had a new cane!

"What happened ta ya, Mr. Ozymandias?" I asked.

"Oh, this?" Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "just a flesh wound."

"Was ya in another protest?" I asked another question.

"Oh, quite so," Mr. Ozymandias sighed, "we's lucky 'round here, Shirou. Mobile is safe from most of the fightin. Montgomery and Birmingham, on the other hand, is burnin like the fiery depths of the Hell. Folks there are gettin worse."

"Ya reckon things could get better, Mr. Ozymandias?" I inquired.

"I reckon it'll get better eventually," Mr. Ozymandias nodded, "that Dr. King fellow is much more pleasant than that Malcolm X. I reckon I'll be followin the former. I pray ya never see the same thing, Shirou. I reckon times will be hard for ya over yonder. Sufferin and hatred can make any man go bad."

"Whoever does good ya should follow, Mr. Ozymandias," I said, "the world needs nice folks."

"I reckon ya right, Shirou," Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "what ya doin here at church for?"

"Oh, I'm here because Jeanne asked me to," I replied with a blush on mah face.

"Hohoho, go get her, boyo," Mr. Ozymandias laughed. I just stood there really confused. What in tarnation was he goin on about?

We saw Father Merlin chattin away with a bunch o' folks. For some reason, a lotta people was keepin their kids away as far as possible. Next ta Father Merlin was another man with brown skin and white hair. He looked real creepy.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Priest Amakusa Shirou," Mr. Ozymandias frowned, "creepy little shit, ain't he not? Worse than Merlin."

"Really?" I said in surprise. Father Merlin didn't seem so bad. Insane, maybe, but not bad.

"Go find your gal now, Shirou," Mr. Ozymandias smiled, "tell me how it goes!"

Jeanne was sittin in the middle row of the church. She looked prettier than ever. Her hair ain't as she usually does. Instead of a braided ponytail, she had her hair tied up in somethin mah mamma called a chignon. She looked like a goddess. Her blue eyes twinkled like they always do and Jeanne was wearin a light blue shift dress and a white dress jacket. She wore a ruby red necklace that I remembered mamma gave her.

"Shirou! Ya here," Jeanne smiled at me.

"Yes I am," I said quickly before I sat down. Jeanne kept her smile as I sat down.

"Well, I'm happy you're here, Shirou," Jeanne nodded, "look, mass about to start." Now, I understood some of the things Father Merlin was preachin, but I mostly didn't know what the hell he was talkin about most of the time. Also, I spent more time talkin with Jeanne than listenin.

"Do ya believe in God, Shirou?" Jeanne asked.

"I reckon I should," I replied. When Jeanne give me a confused look, I tried ta explain. "I mean, believin in a god makes life a bit easier. Ya have an explanation for a lotta o' things!"

"But do ya really, _really_ believe in him? That he's out there?" Jeanne asked quietly.

"I...I don't know," I said honestly, "how about you Jeanne? Do ya believe in God?"

"I reckon I ain't even sure if I do anymore, Shirou," Jeanne said sadly, "I go to church to reaffirm my faith, but even then I feel like I'm losin faith. Where was God when I needed him most? When a lotta of folks needed him most? Prayin never worked. I prayed and prayed and I still got...hurt. I don't believe in all that ' _it's God's plan_ ' crap either. Why does a so-called lovin god let the innocent suffer and let the bad ones persist in this world? Lily's Jewish, ain't she? Ya reckon she ever wonder why God disappeared? During the Holocaust of all times?"

"I don't know," I said sheepishly.

"Ya would think after thousands of years God would realize humanity never changes," Jeanne sighed, "no matter what, we's always gonna fight each other in a never-ending cycle of bloodshed and hatred. Hell, we kill each other just 'cause we can't even agree on how to worship God!"

"What about Jesus?" I asked, "folks believe in him far and over yonder."

"After learnin a lot o' things and doin my own searchin and findin, I feel the Bible has way too many plot-holes," Jeanne frowned, "and are ya sure what the Bible is sayin is the word of Jesus? It's a centuries-old book written by folks writin in a third-person account and not ta mention most of it's from the Torah before Jesus existed, and Christian folks have been known for hatin Jews when Jesus was a Jew! Why? 'Cause another Jew killed him? What type of damn o' logic is that? Folks confuse me, Shirou."

Now, lemme be clear. I is ain't gonna give mah opinion. I know some folks get offended more easily than other folks and some folks will be bashin em folks for being taa darn sensitive and some folks will be cryin out blasphemy and then there's gonna be some riot in the muddafuckin- ( _ **Shirou, ya ramblin.**_ _Oh, sorry bout that_.)

"Maybe...maybe God stopped carin about us a long time ago," I said, "maybe he reckoned we was gonna all go down the gutter so he decided to leave us be and see how we'll go without any guidin hand. Or maybe's he dead."

"I sincerely believe the latter," Jeanne laughed dryly.

"If that's the case, why ya believe in God so much, Jeanne?" I asked curiously.

"I reckon I just do 'cause it makes me have more hope," Jeanne sighed, " I do 'cause it don't make me feel like I'm alone."

"Ya ain't alone, Jeanne," I said, "ya got me." She smiled for once and the mass went on. Me and Jeanne stayed back after mass was over. We was helping Father Merlin and em prepare for the church's annual back-to-school day, where the church wanted ta help kids get ready for the year. By the time we was done, it was already nighttime.

"You's thinking of havin supper somewhere, Shirou?" Jeanne asked. I nodded ta reply. We head off ta some diner right across the police station. As we as headed in, I saw Lily just sittin by herself, eatin good ol' pie.

"How y'all doin?" Lily waved when she noticed us, "the pie's mighty good, y'all should try some." We was sittin on either side of her, and Lily ordered two cherry pies for us.

"What are ya doin here Lily?" I asked, "you's lookin sadder than usual."

"Naw, just my brother canceled on supper with me tonight," Lily scoffed, "I was happy too, finally thoughta he woulda been there in my life for once. How about the two o' y'all?"

"We's just done with church," I explained.

"You goin ta church?" Lily raised an eyebrow, "aw, shucks, Shirou! I thought ya was a Jew like me. Yer mama's one, ain't she?"

I nodded. Now, I reckon there is a God, but he just don't give a damn. Honestly, I don't know what the hell is the difference between all em religions believin in God. He's the same god, ain't he? Why gotta fight over it?

"Mamma says it's up ta me on what I wanna believe in," I replied and Lily nodded in agreement, "besides, I promised Jeanne." Then Lily looked at me funny.

"Say, who's ya papa, Shirou?" Lily asked.

"He died a long time ago in the big war," I replied. Lily looked at me skeptically.

"I ain't gonna say yer ma is yer ma but is your mama really yer real mama?" Lily asked. I was still confused, so Jeanne explained it ta me.

"She askin if ya mama the person that gave birth to ya," Jeanne said bluntly.

"I...I reckon so," I replied. They both gave me odd looks.

"It is to no offense to ya," Lily reassured, "but...you don't look like yer mama at all."

"I'll be damned, even if you had white blood in ya, ya don't got your mama's eyes or hair or even her damn jawline," Jeanne muttered, "say, where ya daddy from Shirou?"

"Mamma always said from the land of em Nips," I replied.

"Japs don't have a lotta of em redheads do they?" Lily stated, "didn't ya say ya daddy died in the war?"

"That's what mah mamma told me," I said.

"Well, shit," Lily sighed.

* * *

They were at a park bench now on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in August. Arthur looked at Shirou incredulously.

"Did ya ever find out?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, I did eventually," Shirou nodded slowly.

"Huh," Arthur replied simply. He found it odd, really. The world was big out there, of course. You learn new stuff everyday.

* * *

I was gettin hit all em words I hadda sit down foh a bit. I was confused. I kept askin mahself questions and stuff. Like, who really was mah daddy really? Is there anythin mamma been hidin over yonder?

Suddenly, somethin caught mah eye.

"Hey, Lily?" I asked.

"Yeah?" Lily replied, being on her ninth plate o' pie. She was a big ol' glutton like that. I always been wonderin why I never see her gain a single damn ounce!

"What is goin on over yonder?" I asked. I was lookin through em cafe doors and atta the church. For some reason, the light was on even though the church shoulda been closed. I is seein some odd stuff goin down there!

I saw a shadow of some tall fella and it looked he had spiked hair from his shadows. Now, this where things got real weird. I was seein this fella do somethin ta this little boy or somethin. It was some weird stuff, I tell ya. It ain't lookin right.

"Call the police," Lily yelled at the waiter, "come on y'all! Hurry the hell up!"

The very next mornin, that Amakusa guy was taken outta the church by the police.

"I ain't doin nothin! I swear ta God!" He said.

"Yeah? Stop disgracin 'im name asshole," One of em officers reply.

"I ain't touchin no kids! I swear! Ya can't take me! Hell, I ain't goin back!" Amakusa decided ta make a break for it and he almost got away too! "I ain't goin back ta the damn penitentiary! You's never gonna take me's alive!" He was runnin as fasta than the devil from Christ! But em officers real mad I tell ya, three of em tackled him hard!

"Jeanne? What's goin on?" I asked.

"Don't worry too much about it," Jeanne waved it off. Years later, the Church was all over the news! Like, everywhere!

* * *

"Wha...how...what?" Arthur sputtered. The two of them were at a museum in Tennessee and what Shirou just told him nearly made him spit out his coffee.

"Yeah, pretty darn weird I tell ya," Shirou frowned. Arthur wanted to faint.

* * *

Eventually, school came in once again. One more year and I was outta there and inta the University of Alabama. After school, I usually went fishin with Cú and all em. Howeva, he was sick early in the year and so I spent most of mah time with Lily or Jeanne. Well, mostly Lily. Jeanne spent a lot o' time studyin, whilst Lily was relaxin all the time. She told me she gets her work done early so she ain't gotta do nothin later.

We was at the pier while we was fishin. Lily hummed ta herself a nice little tune I never heard before. I gotta say, I admire Jeanne and Lily. While the former was much calmer and kind, and the latter was much wittier and carefree, they all had a high degree to toughness I don't I reckon I'd see in most men either. The sun was goin down and Lily started ta sing a song I didn't know at the time. Howeva, it became clear to me years later the song was just a foreshadowin of events to come. The next big thing I'll be tellin ya Arthur...well, it ain't pretty to say. But this song, it gave me some peace for a time. Golly, I'm surprised I still remember every damn word that came out of her mouth.

 _Down this road I can see my home_

 _But why must I be going home alone?_

 _Mama tell me why the sun got turned black?_

 _Mama tell me why Old Ginny's face looks cracked?_

 _Lord knows I been repayin for my sins_

 _Life is an odd game of loss and win_

 _I ain't the one to sit back and drink just whiskey and gin_

 _Mama tell me why Old Glory looks so gray?_

 _Mama tell me why does empathy all em folks always lack?_

 _Mama please Mama tell me if I'll see the brighter day?_

 _Lady Prairie has been shedding mighty tears_

 _Mama everybody been havin mighty fears_

 _Mama why is everybody fightin in everythin?_

 _America's mockingbird no longer sings_

 _Good Lord, I wish I could just fly away_

 _Milady I wish for brighter days_

 _I ain't much good words to say_

 _Lay me down with my forefathers of thy nation_

 _Mama I know I'm testin God's patience_

 _But help me Lord in midst of darker times_

 _It's too early to be sayin goodbye_

 _Why pray now I don't know why_

 _Mama knows, I don't know why_

 _Look through my eyes, I tell no lies..._

 _Oh Lord, I don't know why..._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the long wait? Well, the next few chapters will be gradually be diving into much darker subject matter, as Shirou is nearing some of the most violent years of the Civil Rights Movement and the buildup to the Vietnam War. Shirou will also be diving into the origins of his heritage, as like he told Arthur, darker times are ahead._


End file.
